Apple rumoured to release new iMac this week, still powered by Intel

Two fresh rumours hint that Apple could finally be releasing a new iMac very soon with Intel’s 10th generation processors though it will not feature a much-needed redesign. 

In a report by 9to5Mac, it quoted a rumour from a Twitter that Apple could announce a new Intel-powered Mac as soon as this week.  However, upon checking the link the rumour, we found the tweet has since been removed which may affect the legitimacy of this claim. Earlier rumours suggested that Apple would unveil a new iMac during WWDC 2020 but that did not come true.

Nevertheless, there is a lot of anticipation that Apple will do something about its iMac lineup as a report last month by Macerkopf suggest that supply for the three standard variations of the 27” iMac are significantly back-ordered through the smaller 21.5” iMac seems to still be widely available at the time.

Another reliable source of leaks, the Twitter account @L0vetodream claimed that new Apple products were “ready to ship”. The account, created in February 2020, had accurately reported details on Mac OS Big Sur, the new iPhone SE and iPad Pros in the past.

Further evidence of the imminent release of the new iMac comes from Geekbench results that hinted at a new Intel Core i9-10910 coupled with a yet to be announced AMD Radeon Pro 5300 graphics card was shared by @rogame on Twitter and Tom’s Hardware. 

It is also worth considering that it was this time last year that Apple dropped its refreshed MacBook Air with True Tone display and a new entry-level MacBook Pro with 8th Generation Intel processors, Touch ID and Touch Bar. Though Apple does not necessarily stick to a fixed release schedule, if we were to follow last year’s timeline, July seems to be a critical release window for the company.

As we mentioned earlier in the story, there is a good chance that the new iMac won’t be sporting a new design. This comes from Twitter user @Jioriku who claimed that Cupertino is saving the refreshed design for its own Apple Silicon-powered iMacs. That does make sense considering Apple would want to use the redesign as a valid reason for users to choose an Apple Silicon iMac over the current Intel-powered version.

Apple said during this year’s WWDC that it intends to implement a gradual transition away from Intel chips over the next two years. It also plans to introduce the new Apple Silicon Macs before the end of 2020 though it still has plans to release new Intel Macs down the pipeline.

The iMac’s design is long overdue for a change. Its current external chassis was last revised back in 2012 when Apple shaved 5mm of thickness off the sides. Some would argue that this redesign is only viewable from the side, making the front of the iMac unchanged for 10 years.

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